CHAPTER 5

VICTOR POV

The helicopter was gone.

I stood on the yacht deck, staring at the empty helipad, coffee going cold in my hand.

"Where is my wife?" I asked the nearest crew member.

"Mrs. Emmanuel left early this morning, sir. With your daughter."

"Left? Left where?"

The man shifted nervously. "She did not say, sir. A helicopter came at six. They boarded and left."

My hand tightened on the coffee cup. "And nobody thought to tell me?"

"We assumed you knew, sir."

I threw the cup overboard and walked back to my cabin. My phone rang before I could process what was happening. Mother.

"Victor, where is Evelyn? She missed our brunch with the Hendersons."

"She left."

"Left? What do you mean, left?"

"I mean she took Grace and flew off in a helicopter this morning."

Silence on the other end. Then my mother laughed.

"Oh, this is rich. She is throwing a tantrum because of last night." I could hear the wine glass clinking in the background. "Let her sulk. She will be back by dinner. Where else would she go? She has no money, no family, no connections without us."

I wanted to believe that. Evelyn was soft. Dependent. She needed me, needed this life. A few hours alone and she would come crawling back.

"Check the house," Mother said. "She probably ran home to pack more bags and feel sorry for herself."

I flew back to the mainland and drove straight to our mansion. The house was quiet when I walked in. Too quiet.

"Evelyn?" My voice echoed through the foyer. "Grace?"

No answer.

I climbed the stairs to Evelyn's room, the one she moved to after I started sleeping in my office most nights. The door was open.

The closet was half empty.

I stood there, staring at the gaps between hangers, the missing shoes, the cleared dresser. Not a weekend trip. Not a tantrum.

She had actually left.

I called her number.

The number you have dialed is no longer in service.

Disconnected. She disconnected her phone.

I threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall and cracked but I did not care.

Where would she go? She had no one. Her family cut her off years ago. She had no friends outside of our circle. No money except what I gave her.

A piece of paper on my pillow caught my eye. I picked it up and read the short message.

Victor,

You had ten years to love me. You chose not to.

I almost died last night while you held another woman.

I am done.

Do not look for us.

Evelyn

That was it. No explanation. No negotiation. Just goodbye.

I crumpled the note and sat on the edge of the bed.

This was inconvenient. Embarrassing. We had events coming up, social obligations, a charity gala next week where Evelyn was supposed to host.

But part of me, a small part I did not want to acknowledge, felt something else.

Fear.

"Daddy?"

I looked up. Samuel stood in the doorway, still in his pajamas.

"Where is Mom?"

I did not have an answer.

At the office, Vanessa brought me more coffee and a list of calls I had missed. I ignored all of it.

"Sir, your two o'clock meeting..."

"Cancel it."

"But the investors..."

"I said cancel it."

Vanessa hesitated. "Is this about Mrs. Emmanuel? I heard she left. Do you want me to help find her?"

I looked at my assistant, at her concerned face, her careful words. Amanda was her friend. They had lunch together every week. Vanessa knew everything about my arrangement with Amanda.

Maybe too much.

"Just cancel the meeting," I said.

That night, I went home to an empty house. Samuel had dinner alone with the maid. He asked about his mother three times. About his sister twice.

I had no answers.

Two days passed…Then three.

No calls. No messages. No sign of Evelyn anywhere.

I hired a private investigator on day four. He came back with nothing.

"It is like she vanished, sir. No credit card activity. No phone records. No travel bookings under her name." He flipped through his notes. "But I did find something interesting."

"What?"

"The helicopter that picked her up? It was registered to a private company. Williams Aviation."

"Williams?" The name sounded familiar somehow.

"Part of the Williams Empire. The fashion and retail conglomerate. One of the biggest companies in the country."

"Why would they send a helicopter for my wife?"

The investigator shrugged. "That is what I am trying to find out."

After he left, I sat in my office, the name spinning in my head. Williams. Why did it feel like I should know it?

My phone rang. Mother again.

"Victor, the press is asking questions. Where is your wife?"

"I am handling it."

"Handle it faster. The Hendersons are spreading rumors. They say she left you." Mother's voice dripped with disgust. "If that nobody's wife is making us look foolish..."

"She will come back," I said. "She always does."

But even as I spoke the words, I was not sure I believed them.

That night, I walked into Samuel's room to say goodnight. He was already asleep, photo of me on his nightstand, just like always.

On his desk, I noticed something I had never seen before. A drawing. Crayon on paper.

It showed a woman and a little girl. The woman had brown hair like Evelyn. The girl had pigtails like Grace. Above them, Samuel had written in messy letters: I miss Mommy and Grace.

My chest tightened.

I left the room quietly and went to Evelyn's closet again. This time, I looked more carefully.

Behind old boxes and forgotten bags, I found a single cardboard box. No label. Just plain brown cardboard.

I opened it.

Magazine covers spilled out. Photos. Award certificates. Newspaper clippings.

The first magazine showed a woman holding a gold trophy. Young. Beautiful. Beaming with pride.

The headline read: Designer of the Year: Evelyn Williams Takes Fashion World by Storm.

Williams.

My heart stopped.

I flipped through more pages. More headlines. More photos.

Williams Fashion Empire Welcomes Youngest Creative Director in History.

Evelyn Williams: The Heiress Who Built Her Own Kingdom.

Billionaire Designer Evelyn Williams Named Most Influential Woman in Fashion.

My wife.

My invisible, worthless, nobody wife.

Was Evelyn Williams.

Daughter of the Williams dynasty. Heiress to billions. A woman more powerful and wealthy than I would ever be.

And I had spent ten years treating her like garbage.

I sat on the floor, surrounded by evidence of everything I never bothered to learn about the woman I married.

My phone rang. I answered it without looking.

"Victor." Amanda's voice was silk. "I heard your wife left. Perfect timing. Now we can finally..."

"Not now, Amanda."

"But Victor..."

I hung up.

On the floor beside me, one final photo caught my eye. Evelyn at a party, young and laughing, standing next to a tall man with kind eyes.

The caption read: Designer Evelyn Williams with family friend Benjamin, son of legendary chef Joshua, at the Williams Estate annual gala.

Benjamin.

The name burned into my brain.

Who was this man? Why was he holding my wife like she belonged to him?

And why did I suddenly feel like I was the one who had lost everything?

VICTOR POV

I spent the entire night reading through that box.

Every magazine article. Every award. Every photo. The story of Evelyn Williams was nothing like the woman I thought I married.

She was not some poor girl from nowhere who needed my family name to survive. She was royalty in the fashion world. Her designs had been worn by queens and movie stars. Her company generated more revenue in a year than mine did in five.

And I had made her cook my dinners and iron my shirts.

My hands shook as I picked up another photo. Evelyn at age twenty five, standing on a runway, designers and models gathered around her. The caption said she had just won her third consecutive Designer of the Year award.

Three years before she met me.

What happened? Why did she give all this up? Why did she hide her identity and marry me, a man who did not even know her real name?

The contract. The marriage contract she signed ten years ago.

I found the original in my safe. Read through it again with new eyes.

Ten years. Two children. Support my public image.

And in return, I provided financial security and social standing.

She did not need any of it. She never had.

My phone rang at seven in the morning. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Emmanuel." A formal voice. "This is Charles, attorney for the Williams Empire. We are calling regarding your wife."

My heart slammed against my chest. "What about her?"

"Mrs. Evelyn has requested that all communication between you go through our legal team from this point forward. Any attempts to contact her directly will be considered harassment."

"She is my wife."

"She is also the majority shareholder of Williams Fashion Empire. And our client." The attorney paused. "You will be receiving formal divorce papers within the week."

The call ended.

I sat frozen, phone still pressed to my ear.

Divorce papers. She was actually going through with it.

I dialed the private investigator. "I need everything you can find on Evelyn Williams. Not Emmanuel. Williams. She was a fashion designer before our marriage."

"Williams?" He let out a low whistle. "You mean the Williams family? Sir, they are one of the most powerful families in the country."

"I know. Get me information. Now."

While I waited, I went to the office. Amanda was already there, sitting in my chair with her feet on my desk.

"I heard you got some interesting news last night," she said, smiling like a cat with cream.

"How did you know about that?"

"I have my sources." She stood up and walked toward me, hips swaying. "Does it matter? She is gone, Victor. We can finally be together publicly. No more hiding."

I looked at her. Really looked at her. The woman I had chosen over my wife a hundred times. The woman I had secretly married three years ago in a moment of foolish impulse.

"You knew," I said quietly.

"Knew what?"

"Who she was. You knew Evelyn was a Williams."

Amanda's smile flickered. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Do not lie to me." My voice rose. "You worked at Williams Empire before you came here. Your resume said you were in their design department."

Her face went pale. "That was years ago..."

"You knew exactly who she was. You knew she was worth billions. And you never told me."

Amanda's mask dropped. The sweet smile vanished, replaced by something cold and hard.

"So what if I knew?" She crossed her arms. "What difference does it make?"

"What difference?" I grabbed her shoulders. "I treated her like nothing for ten years. I humiliated her. I let my mother abuse her. And you knew the entire time that she was more powerful than all of us combined."

"She gave it up for you!" Amanda shoved me away. "She chose to be nobody. That was her choice. I just made sure she stayed that way."

"What do you mean?"

Amanda laughed, high and bitter. "Who do you think whispered in Samuel's ear all those years? Who convinced him that his mother was weak and pathetic? Who made sure Evelyn never rebuilt her confidence enough to remember who she really was?"

My blood ran cold. "You poisoned my son against his own mother."

"I did what I had to do to protect my future." Amanda's eyes blazed. "You promised me everything, Victor. Marriage. Power. The Westbrook name. And I was not about to let some forgotten princess wake up and take it all away."

I stepped back from her. This woman I had held, kissed, and called my future wife. This woman I had chosen over Evelyn a thousand times.

She was a monster.

"Get out," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of my office. Get out of my company. We are done."

Amanda stared at me. Then she laughed again.

"You think it is that simple? I have proof of everything, Victor. Our secret marriage. The hidden accounts. The money you transferred to me." She picked up her bag. "You try to throw me away, and I will burn your entire world down."

She walked out, slamming the door behind her.

I sank into my chair, head in my hands.

What had I done? What had I become?

My phone buzzed. A news alert.

BREAKING: Fashion Icon Evelyn Williams Returns After 10-Year Absence. Williams Empire Stock Soars on News of Prodigal Daughter's Homecoming.

I clicked on the article. A photo filled my screen.

Evelyn, standing on a red carpet, wearing a gown that made her look like a goddess. Cameras flashing everywhere. A smile on her face I had never seen before.

She looked happy. Alive. Powerful.

Next to her stood the man from the old photo. Benjamin. His hand rested on her lower back, possessive and protective.

Another photo showed them at a charity event. Evelyn laughing at something Benjamin said. Their faces close. Too close.

The caption read: Williams Heiress Evelyn spotted with longtime family friend Benjamin. Insiders say romance is blooming.

My vision went red.

She had left me. Found another man. Reclaimed her life like I never existed.

No. No, this was not over. The contract was still valid. She could not just walk away.

I called my attorney.

"Find every loophole," I ordered. "She broke the contract by leaving. I want full custody of both children. I want her stripped of everything."

"Sir, I will try, but if the Williams family is involved..."

"I do not care who is involved. Make it happen."

I hung up and stared at the photo of Evelyn on my screen.

You think you can just leave me? You think you can find someone else and forget everything?

I will drag you back if I have to. I will remind you exactly who you belong to.

But even as the anger burned through me, another emotion lurked beneath it.

Regret.

Because looking at that photo of Evelyn, radiant and free, I realized something I should have known years ago.

I had the most valuable woman in the world. And I threw her away for nothing.

Now she was gone. And the man holding her close was not me.

My office door opened. My attorney stood there, face white as paper.

"Sir, we have a problem."

"What now?"

"Amanda just leaked everything to the press. Your secret marriage. The hidden accounts. All of it."

I stared at him.

"It gets worse," he continued. "The Williams family is calling a press conference tomorrow. They are going to publicly announce Evelyn's return and her divorce from you."

The room spun around me.

"Sir?" My attorney stepped closer. "What do you want me to do?"

I had no answer.

Because for the first time in my life, Victor Emmanuel had no idea how to fix what he had broken.